From Custom PHP to Comprehensive ERP: How Walnut School Built Unity EDU

When Standard Solutions Don't Fit Non-Standard Schools

Walnut School isn't your typical educational institution. With innovative approaches like no school bags and complex supply chain logistics, they faced a fundamental challenge: no existing ERP could handle their unique requirements.

"We started developing our own ERP because Walnut School is not typical. It's a different school with different kind of requirements," explains Nikhil Karkare, who led the digital transformation journey. "If you have no school bags, so we have all sorts of logistical other things which we need to take care of in our system to maintain a good supply chain."

This challenge sparked a 7-year custom development journey that would eventually revolutionize not just Walnut School's operations, but create an entirely new product category in educational technology.

The PHP Years: When Custom Becomes a Burden

Starting in 2015, Walnut School built their own PHP/MySQL-based ERP system. While it initially worked well, the reality of custom development soon set in:

• Maintenance nightmares: "It became a big patchy elephant where we started patching one part and the other part used to start blowing off"
• Developer dependency: Critical reliance on specific developers created operational risk
• Slow development cycles: Changes and improvements took excessive time and resources

The breaking point came when Nikhil realized the fundamental problem: "I was very developer dependent and development was very, very slow."

The Search for a Better Foundation

Nikhil's requirements for a new platform were specific and strategic:

1. Vendor independence: "Something like Tally but of course not Tally—if an accountant leaves who knows Tally, I get another accountant who knows Tally"
2. Long-term sustainability: Platform that survives developer changes
3. Community ecosystem: Established partner networks and support systems

The search led to Frappe/ERPNext, particularly after Zerodha's investment brought it into mainstream attention.

The Frappe Transformation: 2 Years to Rebuild Everything

In late 2022, Walnut School began their Frappe implementation. The results were dramatic:

Development Efficiency

• 7 years of PHP development replicated in 2 years
• Plus significantly more functionality than the original system
• Low-code/no-code approach enabled rapid iterations

"What it took me around 7 years to build with my earlier PHP thing, it took me 2 years to build this plus many more things." — Nikhil Karkare

Framework Advantages

• Simple Python structure that junior developers can understand
• Conforming architecture that standardizes development approaches
• Developer transferability: "If a developer changes, other developers can just come and start picking up code as they go along"

Beyond Standard Modules: Creative ERP Usage

What sets Walnut School's implementation apart is their comprehensive use of Frappe/ERPNext modules in creative ways:

Unexpected Module Applications

• Wiki module for knowledge base management
• Manufacturing module for printing operations
• Inventory module for worksheet printing and tracking
• Product bundles for complex educational packages

Comprehensive Integration

• CRM for admission monitoring
• HRMS/Payroll with biometric device integration
• Insights app for custom reporting and analytics
• Mobile apps built on React for parents and students

"I actually use practically almost all the modules of Frappe and ERPNext. I use very less used modules by everybody."

The Business Impact: Measurable Transformation

Cost Savings

• Reduced fragmentation: Previously used "five different software plus Tally"
• Lower integration costs: API-based architecture eliminated custom integration work
• Predictable expenses: Fixed AMC model vs. escalating per-user SaaS costs

From Internal Tool to Market Product

The most significant outcome wasn't just operational improvement—it was product creation. Within 2-3 months of implementation, it became clear this solution had broader market potential.

"We started talking saying hey, there is a lot of potential for this to become a product right... that's how we kind of got together, we spun off a new company now and we are now offering that as a platform to other schools and education institutions."

Partnership Evolution

• Started as customer: Implemented for internal needs
• Became partner: Achieved bronze partner status after third customer
• Product company: Spun off Unity EDU as standalone offering

Strategic Insights for Educational Institutions

The SaaS Pricing Problem

"When you go beyond one school or become a large organization, you have number of users, it just becomes unaffordable... that signing that check becomes very heavy because what have you done in the last year? Nothing."

Integration vs. Fragmentation

"The fragmentation is such a big pain because you have to keep exporting data, otherwise write APIs between them, then beg each of those vendors to talk to each other."

The Platform Advantage: APIs and Future-Proofing

Unity EDU's API-first architecture enables innovative integrations:

• Claude Code integration: AI-powered query generation and data analysis
• 200-line queries generated through natural language prompts
• REST API foundation for seamless third-party integrations
• React-based mobile apps for enhanced user experience

Key Lessons for Educational Technology Leaders

1. Platform Choice Matters

Choosing an established framework like Frappe/ERPNext provided:

• Community support and documentation
• Proven scalability and reliability
• Partner ecosystem for implementation assistance

2. Think Beyond Standard Use Cases

Creative module usage unlocked unexpected value:

• Manufacturing for printing operations
• Wiki for knowledge management
• Inventory for non-traditional tracking needs

3. Integration Eliminates Fragmentation

Single-platform approach solved multiple pain points:

• Eliminated data export/import cycles
• Reduced vendor management complexity
• Improved data consistency and accuracy

The Future of Educational ERP

Walnut School's journey demonstrates that educational institutions don't have to accept inadequate solutions or prohibitive costs. With the right platform foundation, schools can:

• Maintain operational control without vendor lock-in
• Scale efficiently without per-user pricing penalties
• Innovate continuously through low-code development
• Build competitive advantages through custom functionality

Conclusion: From Survival to Success

What began as a necessity—finding an ERP that could handle Walnut School's unique requirements—evolved into a comprehensive product that now serves multiple educational institutions.

For educational leaders considering ERP transformation, Walnut School's story provides a roadmap: choose platforms over custom development, embrace open source flexibility, and think creatively about module applications.

The future of educational technology isn't about accepting limitations—it's about building solutions that grow with your institution's unique needs.